by Dr. Ofer Israeli
Despite the sophistication, guile and resolve exhibited by the Persians, the Islamic republic can be defeated.
Persian civilians and
government representatives have been giving and taking with foreigners
for thousands of years, employing a different type of business or
political discourse than the West is familiar with. Due to its basic
principles these negotiations will, more often than not, primarily serve
the Persian interest.
Therefore, we should
not be surprised this was the case throughout the negotiations between
Iran and the United States and other world powers. The Iranian
delegation won significant results through its dogged adherence to the
four negotiating principles of the Persian bazaar.
Firstly, the Persian
bazaar approach to negotiating aims to secure the maximum result, which
is predetermined and from which there is no intention of backing down.
From the Persian point of view, the negotiating process is not designed
for facilitating a compromise between the opposing sides. It is also not
designed for reaching a middle ground between the sides' original
proposals. Its goal is singular in purpose, which is to allow the
Persian side to meet its objectives. If not -- the negotiating process
is delayed until an unknown future date, when the conditions are deemed
more favorable to achieving the objectives. In the meantime, the
Persians will buy time and learn to live with the situation, as
difficult as it may be.
Secondly, the only
measuring stick for success in negotiations is achieving the goal, which
as stated has been predetermined. Any other outcome will be perceived
as a stinging defeat, which will eventually be rejected by the highest
echelons of power. No attention, therefore, is paid to the high price of
the negotiating process. Iran avoided compromising its goals despite
the draconian sanctions imposed on it for years, which were some of the
harshest sanctions ever imposed on one country by the international
community.
While Western
negotiators may give in on certain issues in order to shorten the
process, which also means paying a larger price and losing more, the
Persians will hold steadfast to their positions until their goal is
achieved and until they completely exhaust the opposing negotiators.
Thirdly, while the
Western economic approach sanctifies the "win-win" principle, the
Persian approach sanctifies the imposition of its objectives on the
adversary. Any compromise on the basic principles, even a compromise
that seemingly serves the Persian interest, is considered weakness that
sullies the good name of the chief Persian representative, who has bent
for the foreign representative. Success, on the other hand, will enhance
the representative's prestige and personal status, while also
illustrating the supremacy of the Persian nation.
Fourthly -- honesty and
truth telling is the norm for Persians in the closer circles of family
and business associations. In contrast, these rules almost completely do
not apply to the world of international politics. And if they do apply
-- it is only because it is temporarily fitting. Therefore, any problem
raised by the other side will be met with a future solution, which will
be backed up by impressive promises that will supposedly bridge the
gaps. After all, there is no honest and truthful intention to stick to
the deal, which will be violated at a time deemed suitable -- most
likely when the other side no longer has the leverage with which to
enforce the main points of the deal.
Throughout the
negotiations between Iran, the U.S. and other world powers, the Iranian
representatives operated in accordance with these four principles of
negotiation. Of course, we can identify certain points in time where the
Iranian negotiators gave in and supposedly acted in contradiction to
these fundamental principles, but this was only to create the appearance
of a positive dynamic while absolutely adhering to their national
interests, outlined by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Despite the bitter
defeat of signing the deal, which is bad for Israel, Jerusalem must
examine the possible avenues of action at its disposal and act with
determination to make them happen. Despite the sophistication, guile and
resolve exhibited by the Persians, the Islamic republic can be
defeated. One way to do so is to adopt some of the Persian strategies
described here, and is a subject worth expanding on separately.
Dr. Ofer Israeli is a senior
adviser on international strategy and teaches foreign policy
decision-making at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and
Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=13365
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment